After he meets Melchizedek, Santiago considers traveling to Africa to start his journey. He even goes so far as to approach a ticket window to book passage on a ship to Africa (across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier in Morocco). In the hero's journey model, Santiago is, perhaps, standing right on the Threshold of Adventure: he has to decide whether to respond to The Call, or not. At this point, we see his uncertainty when he momentarily changes his mind and decides to stay and continue being a shepherd. What makes Santiago hesitate?
